WHO
ARE WE? WHAT WE DO

My name is Ralph Eichenberger. I lived and worked for 16 years in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

Originally I studied environmental analytical chemistry as laboratory assistant at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH), and continued in the late nineties with the study
of environmental expert and ecology at ‘sanu-future learning’ in Biel, Switzerland.

In Oaxaca I've been working for 13 years as an independent environmental expert with a focus on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), especially with aerial and satellite imagery for
different projects. This are always carried out in close cooperation and participation of the targeted communities and includes social and environmental planning, biodiversity surveys, forest and
hydrology management.

Besides my experience in GIS, I am in the process of setting up a mobile laboratory for water quality analysis.

Currently, I am working with drones as described on this Website. This includes the whole method development and test flights. The aim is to established a group of professionals which are able to collect remote sensing data with low cost drones in almost any locations at any time in Mexico. It goes without saying that we
want to network globally, with the aim to exchange data, information, experiences and to work together on projects.

I did a doctorate in the Institute of Ecology, A.C. Of Xalapa, Veracruz, and studied in Germany "Use of landscape and protection of nature". I am mainly dedicated to studying patterns of
diversity of different groups of plants and animals in landscapes modified by man.

The use of drones can help us to analyze with more precision the variables that determine the persistence of the species in a landscape. This will also help us to take better measures for
its conservation and for a more sustainable use, diminishing the negative effects on diversity.

The potential of the drones is enormous, but we have to develop simple and reliable methods that are capable of handling this amount of information that is being generated, in order to
produce high quality data.

The good news is that drone management is easy, and we've seen a lot of interest in communities using them. I think they are a very suitable tool for use in community monitoring or
citizen science, and I think they make it much easier to exchange information.

This way we can improve our knowledge about our ecosystems and ensure their better protection and more efficient use.